alt Hacker News> This seems highly prescriptive and absolutist.
And why exactly is this bad?
> There’s a big difference between “having a tool available” and “using it all the time for everything.”
Not really, when the tool ends up just pushing everything out.
> We are not talking about replacing writing and reading on paper.
Yet this is EXACTLY what has already happened. A lot of laptop kids literally can't write. Not even in block letters.
> I was fortunate that my middle and elementary schools had computers.
That's the thing. You had computers for CS classes. I had a somewhat similar experience, starting with ZX-Spectrum. I think this is actually great, especially if you start with something basic like Apple II.
But you did not have them on your desk at all times. You had to learn math and language by actually writing things in a physical notebook with a pen.
> I think your 9th grade cutoff is particularly silly. You can start subjects like algebra before high school.
Why the heck do you need computers for algebra?!? School-level algebra is something that is literally better done without any calculating tools.
> You really think there are kids doing formal classes like programming and digital design/art before high school? Go look into some of the curriculum course list for some of the top middle and high schools in the country.
Formal classes with desktop computers that STAY IN CLASS after the lesson are fine. Having access to a computer _after_ school is also fine.
I’m not sure why you’re assuming I meant “computers at desks with unfettered access at all times.” Computers being portable doesn’t mean unfettered access. That wasn’t how my school’s laptop carts worked.
I also never said to use computers for algebra, I brought that up to point out that middle school curriculum is quite advanced because you thought that kids below grade 9 shouldn’t use them at all. But there are middle schoolers using computing devices to make digital art, deliver multimedia presentations, edit videos, and program robots. The prescriptiveness dictating computers are just for computer class is incredibly outdated.
I suggest you spend a little more time reading my comment to understand the underlying meaning a little more.